Wankhede Stadium - Early Years

Early Years

Mumbai, the cricket capital of India, has seen Test matches played at three different grounds. The Bombay Gymkhana ground hosted the first ever Test in India, in 1933–34 against England. After the world war II, the Cricket Club of India Ltd's Brabourne Stadium – second ground of the city – was used for 17 Tests. However, due to a dispute between the CCI and the Bombay Cricket Association (BCA), the later built the 45000-capacity Wankhede Stadium, less than a mile away from the Brabourne Stadium. It is named after the Association’s President Barrister Seshrao Wankhede in 1974.

It staged its first Test in the 1974–75 season when the West Indies toured India. Clive Lloyd scored an unbeaten 242 and in Pataudi's last hurrah, India lost by 201 runs. The Test also featured a crowd disturbance after a fan who rushed on to the ground to greet Lloyd was treated roughly by the police. India's first victory here was posted against the New Zealand two seasons later. The stadium has been a witness to great innings like Sunil Gavaskar's 205 against the West Indies and Alvin Kallicharan's 187 in the same game in the 1978–79 series and all round heroics like Ian Botham's century and thirteen wickets in the Jubilee Test in 1979–80, which England won by ten wickets. The highest score by an Indian at the Wankhede Stadium is Vinod Kambli's 224 against England in 1992–93 in only his third Test. Incidentally Ravi Shastri's six sixes in an over off Baroda's Tilak Raj in Ranji Trophy, en route to the fastest double-hundred in first-class cricket were recorded on this ground in 1984–85. His unbeaten 200 in 113 minutes off 123 balls with 13 fours and 13 sixes at this ground, is the fastest double century in first-class cricket ever since.